BMW 2 Series Active Tourer – AutoWeek Test

How should I place the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer in today’s automotive landscape?

The BMW 2 Series Active Tourer is one of the last compact MPVs. He knows how to stand firm against today’s SUV violence. Most brands have had their MPVs in the museum for a long time, even the Renault Scénic – as the founder of this once very popular market segment – ​​disappeared silently from the price lists. MPV drivers from the very beginning are directed by most brands towards a crossover or SUV.

Perhaps that is precisely the reason why BMW is giving the 2 Active Tourer a second life, in the form of a completely newly developed model. The main competitor of the 2-series Active Tourer is of course the Mercedes B-class, but you could also use spacious crossovers such as the Honda HR-V, Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross or the Kia Niro as an alternative. And what about the BMW X1?

Thick 400 liters of luggage space is very neat.

How do I recognize the new 2 Series Active Tourer?

BMW has pulled out all the stops to make the second generation of the 2-series Active an appetizing appearance. In particular, the large kidney grille, prominently integrated into the nose, gives the car an impressive appearance – although they are certainly not everyone’s taste due to their size, a car is approaching!

That first impression is reinforced by the sharp, slanted headlight units. The body is clean-lined and the surfaces of the sheet metal are fairly flat in shape, something to which the recessed door handles also contribute. At the rear, the light units are narrow and sharply drawn, making the stern look relatively large and giving the coach more body.

How does the interior of the BMW manage to stimulate the senses?

BMW places a fully digitized instrumentation in the new 2-series Active Tourer, known from the electric iX and i4. It consists of a wide screen, slightly turned towards the driver. The whole is reminiscent of the digital dashboard of Mercedes, but the futuristic graphic design still gives its own twist to BMW’s version.

Operation is largely via the central touchscreen – also for climate control. This often results in an inscrutable menu structure in other cars, but you soon learn to understand the system in the BMW. The well-known and acclaimed iDrive rotary/push button has been omitted in the 2 Active Tourer. There are now only a few switches for basic functions around the selector knob of the machine.

Nice, tidy interior.

The dashboard has a beautiful wooden trim over the entire width and is finished with aluminum around the ventilation grilles and on the floating center tunnel. As we are used to from BMW, the Active Tourer has a small, thick and sporty steering wheel. The buttons on the spokes are on the small side, especially the turning wheels are a bit difficult to operate.

How much space does the 2 Active Tourer offer?

BMW’s compact MPV is a great car for a family with two or three children. You sit comfortably in the front and the passengers can easily lose their limbs in the back seat. With a capacity of 405, the trunk space does not exceed the average hatchback level. When you fold down the backrest of the rear seat (in the distribution 40:20:40), there is room for 1,405 liters in the back. The Mercedes B-class is more spacious, but we do not want to accuse the BMW of a lack of space. The tested 220i Active Touring is allowed to tow a trailer of 1,300 kilos. It is also surpassed by the B-class, which can tow 1,600 kilos on the towbar.

The BMW 220i Active Tourer certainly delivers good performance.

Perhaps the 220i nameplate on the tailgate creates the expectation of a two-litre engine, but no: the car has a turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder. With which the car is definitely not under-motorized: the block delivers a respectable power of 156 hp and has a maximum torque of 240 Nm, which is already available at 1,500 rpm. At the bottom of the revs, the three-cylinder runs a bit raw, but that impression disappears as soon as the block is driven a bit higher.

So to answer the above question: yes, BMW’s compact MPV delivers excellent performance in this engine variant. You are in 8.1 seconds on the hundred, from 80 km / h pulling an intermediate sprint to 120 km / h takes no more than 5.8 seconds. In addition, the BMW is surprisingly economical with petrol. This is partly due to the standard eight-speed automatic transmission, which knows how to choose its switching moments perfectly. BMW promises an average consumption of 5.9 l / 100 km (1 in 16.9), we came during the test – under sunny conditions, at a temperature of 20 degrees – at 6.5 l / 100 km (1 in 15.4km). Considering the performance, a very neat result. You can go almost 700 kilometers on a full tank.

Not a 2.0 liter in the 220i, but a 1.5.

A BMW should of course be fun to steer. Does the 2 Active Tourer get you in the party mood?

Even though this BMW has front-wheel drive and ‘only’ a three-cylinder, the Active Tourer certainly does not deny its origins. Its chassis is wonderfully sharp and refined, transmitting enough information to make you aware of what’s going on around the wheels, while at the same time keeping unnecessary and most unpleasant signals away from you. In the event of sudden changes in course, the carriage remains neatly under control, and there is no excessive tilting. Together with the relatively heavy steering, this makes the Active Tourer a very nice car to take on the road.

That you feel the driving forces in the steering wheel is unavoidable due to the front-wheel drive, but BMW engineers have brushed that away as much as possible. The 2-series Active Tourer actually combines the best of both worlds: you are happy because you are driving a real BMW, while your partner and children are happy because the car offers all the practical and spatial advantages of a compact MPV.

Which engines are there for the 2 Active Tourer?

BMW supplies the 2-series Active Tourer in a large number of engine variants. In the 156 hp 220i, which we test here, the three-cylinder is linked to a mild hybrid system. That provides an electric boost of 19 hp. Such an installation is missing on the less powerful three-cylinder, the 216i (122 hp) and 218i (136 hp). BMW has managed to elicit a little more power from the 220i for model year 2023: 170 hp.

The three-cylinder also forms the basis for two plug-in hybrids. These have a battery with a capacity of 14.2 kWh, with which you can drive between 80 and 90 kilometers electrically. In addition to the 136 petrol horsepower, the 225e xDrive has an electric power of 109 hp, good for a system power of 245 hp. The 230e xDrive converts the petrol into 150 hp, and with the 109 hp electric motor even achieves a combined output of 326 hp.

Then there is the 223i Active Tourer with its 218 hp two-liter four-cylinder, which receives a mild hybrid of 19 hp. The 223i is available with a choice of front-wheel or (optionally) all-wheel drive. Diesel enthusiasts can focus on the 218d (150 hp) and the 223d with xDrive four-wheel drive (211 + 19 hp). BMW does not offer a fully electric 2-series Active Tourer.

What is standard on and on the 2-series Active Tourer?

BMW assumes one trim level, which can be combined with all kinds of option packs and individual options. As standard, the 2 Series Active Tourer already has a whole laundry list of features that make life on board more pleasant and that enhance the appearance of the car. An eight-speed automatic transmission, as well as the digital curved dashboard, are always standard, as is BMW My Modes, which allow you to choose from Personal, Relax, Expressive, Efficient and Sport driving modes. The height-adjustable chairs always have an extendable seat.

There is no shortage of monitoring cameras

If we look at the safety equipment, we have to conclude that BMW does not just want the best for its buyers. Lane departure warning, speed sign recognition and warning of oncoming traffic when turning left are part of the standard Active Guard. You have to pay extra for the complete package: adaptive LED headlights with high beam assistant, adaptive cruise control, blind spot warning, positioning in the middle of the lane, active navigation guidance, warning for crossing traffic from behind, a system that prevents wrong driving, evasion assistant, traffic jam assistant … It’s all possible delivered if you pay extra.

The choice of AutoWeek test coordinator Marco Gorter

Given the addition of the Muild Hybrid system, it pays to go for the 220i and not for the less powerful versions. There is, of course, a lot to choose from in the versions. The Premium Pack and Travel Pack (both €1,995) add many desirable options. Anyone in the market for an M Sport package should realize that this also includes a fairly strong sports suspension. That must be your taste.